Car rentals will be going greener, at least at Hertz, which will purchase 100,000 Tesla Model 3 electric sedans over the next 14 months. The rental car company announced the move Monday morning, saying that over 20 percent of its rental fleet will consist of battery-electric vehicles by the end of 2022.

To power its BEVs, Hertz will install "thousands of chargers" at its locations around the world. Hertz customers will also be able to recharge the Teslas at the electric carmaker's 3,000-plus level 3 chargers in the US and Europe.

"Electric vehicles are now mainstream, and we've only just begun to see rising global demand and interest," said Hertz interim CEO Mark Fields in a statement. "The new Hertz is going to lead the way as a mobility company, starting with the largest EV rental fleet in North America and a commitment to grow our EV fleet and provide the best rental and recharging experience for leisure and business customers around the world."

The COVID-19 pandemic hit Hertz particularly hard, as the almost complete halt in business and personal travel during the early lockdowns brought the company's operations to a standstill. The revenue hit was severe enough to force Hertz into bankruptcy in May 2020.

New batteries

Some of the Model 3s in Hertz's fleet may be powered by new, larger batteries. Panasonic is showing off a new prototype lithium-ion battery that Reuters describes as being five times bigger than the cells currently used by Tesla.

Production on the Tesla 4680 battery cell will begin in 2022, and the move to the larger cells is expected to reduce manufacturing costs for the carmaker.